Suns’ Cam Payne to miss season finale vs. Kings with right knee soreness
Apr 9, 2022, 6:17 PM
Cameron Payne #15 of the Phoenix Suns awaits an in-bound pass during the first half of the NBA game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Footprint Center on December 23, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The Phoenix Suns will once again be without point guard Cam Payne for Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Sacramento Kings at Footprint Center.
Both Payne (right knee soreness) and center Dario Saric (knee) were listed as out on the team’s injury report.
Payne was a late scratch for Friday’s 111-105 win over the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City due to the discomfort.
Knee soreness marks the third different injury the point guard has had to deal with this season.
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Back in November, Payne dealt with a right hamstring strain that caused him to miss three games before a sprained right wrist kept him out from late January to early March.
Coincidentally, he also missed the Suns’ 127-124 OT win over the Kings in Sacramento on March 20 due to a non-COVID-19 illness.
The 27-year-old is averaging 10.8 points, 4.9 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 0.7 steals in 22 minutes per contest while shooting 40.9% from the floor and 33.6% from three this season.
However, in 18 games since the All-Star Break, Payne’s numbers are up to 11.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and a whopping 7.7 assists per game.
His shooting percentages didn’t see quite as big of a leap, though, with the point guard’s field goal percentage at 41.8% and 3-point conversion rate at 33.8%.
The Suns host the Kings in the regular-season finale on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station.
